Pray first

Read Genesis 1, or just Genesis 1:1

Summer days seem so busy and crammed full of activity;  things like family vacations, kids’ multiple sports activities, yard work, and planting, harvesting, and canning the summer garden vegetables. As I think about leaving behind our warm (hot!) summer days and all of its busyness I feel the hope of Fall and the slower, cooler season it brings. 

NOT! Fall is busy, Y’all!  Yes, it’s cooler but there’s a lot happening in the fall. School starts back, SEC football, little league still has sports activities, Fall festivals, Thanksgiving and Christmas plans! It really feels like we’re starting all over again, that we’re beginning again with the busy days.

As you’re making plans for this new season, maybe you want to consider a fresh start in your personal life. Maybe you don’t quite see your purpose, or meaning in all the busyness of the seasons of earth or the seasons of life. If we are going to begin a search for personal growth, where should we begin? It always seems like the beginning is a good place to start. Maybe it’s time we get to know more about God and what he says about beginning, beginning again, and fresh starts.   So would you join me in starting at the VERY BEGINNING? 

“In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1) Let’s just stop right there. After all, it says it’s the beginning.

God. God was already…even before the beginning; He is the beginning, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). I have a hard time really getting a grasp on that “beginning.” The beginning of everything, the beginning of time. I get that God created the earth, heaven, the first day, and every day after that. But I keep wondering, when did God “begin?”  When did He “become” God?

The fact of the matter is, He ALWAYS was God. He is the Alpha, the beginning. It is so difficult to wrap my head around “always” and so I can’t seem to fully grasp all of God! If I can’t really grasp all of who God is, do I believe in Him? Do I trust in Him? Do I live my life with him? Do I give him a chance?   

Let’s ask this question: Are there other things that are in our lives that we use or benefit from regularly and don’t fully understand? Yes, of course! For instance, we all get on our cell phones, our cellular devices, multiple times a day and communicate and connect with other people. And “cellular”—what does that even mean? I get “cells”—the cells of the human body; DNA, RNA, mitochondria, etc. I’m in the medical field, so I’ve learned a few things about the cellular aspects of humans.  Even that I don’t fully grasp. But I know I need cells and I need them to do what they do so I can do what I do! 

Then there’s electricity—we flip a switch and turn on the lights and turn off the lights. I don’t fully understand how that works.  I know there are smart people who totally get human cells and electricity,  and cellular devices, and all the intricate details. But there is something out there that even the very smartest person doesn’t get; and, yet, still uses it, trusts it, benefits from it. 

Do I have to fully comprehend all aspects of something to be open to its possibilities, to have it be a part of my life? Of course, the answer is no. But the more I know about human cells and cellular devices and electricity, the better I am able to benefit from those things. Could it be that the same thing is true of the Beginning, God, the Alpha and Omega? Would you ever want to miss out on all that He is, all that He could be in your life if you thought for a second about the possibility that God IS? That he IS who he says he is; and does what he says he can do? That he did what the Bible said he did? And what if you considered that the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation IS true? Could this be the moment in your life to consider something beyond your understanding or reasoning?  

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,”  declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” 

God has our best interest at heart, he is for us, not against us. (Roman 8:31). Since he has a good plan for us, seeking him for a fresh start is a great place to begin. 

So let’s begin.

“In the beginning”… Genesis 1:1…before there was a first day, before there was the earth… “God created”…

I will never grasp the fullness of that, the beginning of everything and the intricate details. But I will trust Him to be God. I will let myself let Him in my life. Who He is, how He works. What He does changes me, makes me a better human. He created me. He made me, flesh and bones. He breathed life into my body. 

Psalm 139: 13 says, “For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

He has given me love from Him and for Him, and for others (1 John 4:7). He has given me the light of life that I cannot fully comprehend. But I keep on running this race because the better I know Him the more I understand about Him. The more of Him I have, the more it benefits me and those I do life with.  It makes me a better human.  

I’m glad we can’t fully comprehend the God of this universe; that’s part of what makes Him God, the only true God; the one who was, who is, and always will be; the one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 10:8). The God who is bigger than our ability to think and learn. The one who changes me, so that I am not the same as I was yesterday. I believe in this One, I trust in this One. Could you? Would you? Could today be YOUR new beginning?

Hopefully, on this first day of fall, or whatever day this may be, you made a decision to consider God, you decided to investigate the possibility. Or maybe you’ve always known God, and you just decided to follow along in this new SoulGrown column for a fresh start.  I’m praying that God somehow got your attention and you want to know more about Him, the creator of the earth, and so much more! Whether you are just beginning to seek God, or you are beginning again to seek God, I pray that as we go on this journey in Genesis (the beginning) you will find Him in his word, that you will see him, and hear him and know that He is also seeking you! 

Let’s keep diving into the word, the Bible, to discover more about God, who the Alpha and Omega is, and let Him be our guide as we follow the plan he has for us. 

 

Worship: New Beginnings by Cade Thompson